Springfield Observer, June 9, 2000, at 9

Accompanied by the joint statement of the Bishops of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont on Vermont’s "Civil Unions" Law.

The question of gay marriage has recently become a civil rights issue for some in our society. It seems that there is an assumption that if you can have a sexual relationship with someone, of either gender, you are entitled to all the benefits of marriage. Sometimes these relationships are not called marriage but domestic partnerships and apply equally to homosexual and heterosexual partnerships.

The distinguishing feature appears to be a sexual relationship, for such benefits are not available to those who share a home because of ties flowing from blood or ties of friendship. Thus the state is put in the position of not only sanctioning but also promoting what were always formerly considered to be illicit sexual relationships outside of marriage.

This concept contravenes what has been the common witness of humanity, with few exceptions, to the nature of marriage and family found in all societies from primitive to civilized, for thousands of years.

Until only a few years ago, it was the common consensus of human societies that marriage and family were predicated on the biological and psychological complementarity and union of male and female, that is, of man and woman. This, in turn, was based on the biological potential for the transmission of human life which, again until a few years ago, was considered a core value of marriage and family.

It is also true that a common consensus has existed among all religions that marriage and family are rooted in a heterosexual relationship. It is only in the last few years again that some religious groups in our society have begun to expand the notion of marriage and family to include other types of couplings. The scriptures, Hebrew, Christian and Moslem, however, are clear in teaching that marriage is based on the relationship of a man and a woman, and this is and was the will of God from the beginning.

The State of Vermont has become the first in the nation to legally recognize Domestic Partnerships. You may be sure that similar attempts will be made to extend this legislation to other states, possibly including Massachusetts. We have already experienced these efforts in our own local community. These seem to be only the prelude of what is yet to come in the ever-increasing attempt to change our culture and society by abandoning age-old traditions of right and wrong as sanctioned in the scriptures of most faiths.

We give credit to Bishop Kenneth Angell of Burlington, Vt., who has led the fight for traditional norms. He has stood strongly against opposing forces in this matter. Though the initial battle was lost, the fight continues.

The bishops of the Province of Boston are united in their support for Bishop Angell and the principles which he defended.

The full statement follows:

Statement of the Bishops of the Boston Province:

The Legislature of the State of Vermont, by passing the Civil Unions Bill, has attacked centuries of cultural and religious esteem for marriage between a man and a woman and has prepared the way for an attack on the well-being of society itself. As the Most Reverend Kenneth A. Angell, Bishop of Burlington, pointed out in his opposition to the Vermont legislation, '(The Civil Unions Bill) is just a stepping stone for same-sex marriage.'

We, the Catholic Bishops of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire express our solidarity with Bishop Angell and all people of good will who recognize the sacredness of marriage and the family as ordered by God. We are of one mind with Bishop Angell that such legislation will undermine cultural and religious respect for marriage and will inflict a wound upon society itself. Furthermore, we support Bishop Angell as he encourages the people of Vermont, through their legislators, to rectify the situation brought about by passage of 'The Civil Unions Bill,' if necessary, through committed efforts to pass an Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Vermont.

The obligation of society and the state to support and strengthen marriage as the intimate union of a man and a woman does not infringe upon the civil rights of others. Rather, those seeking to redefine marriage for their own purposes are the ones who are trying to impose their values on the rest of the population.

The resources of society should be directed as far as possible to lending support to marriage. The privileges accorded to marriage throughout history are due to the irreplaceable contribution that a strong institution of marriage makes to humanity. The concept of civil unions undermines the unique position of marriage in our society and diverts resources from marriages and families.

The Church teaches that the intimate partnership of a man and a woman which constitutes the married state has been established by its creator; it is the very basic unit of society. In its Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, the Fathers of Vatican Council II articulated the Church's understanding of marriage as an institution 'confirmed by the divine law and receiving its stability, even in the eyes of society, from the human act by which the partners surrender themselves to each other.' (GS 48.) A strong and stable institution of marriage will enhance the dignity, peace and prosperity of each individual, of the family, and indeed of the whole human race.

Signed by:

* His Eminence, Bernard Cardinal Law, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, Mass.

* The Most Reverend Kenneth Angell, Bishop of Burlington, Vermont

* The Most Reverend Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., Bishop of Fall River, Mass.

* The Most Reverend John B. McCormack, Bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire

* The Most Reverend Joseph Joseph J. Gerry, OSB, Bishop of Portland, Maine

* The Most Reverend Thomas L. Dupre, Bishop of Springfield, Mass.

* The Most Reverend Daniel P. Reilly, Bishop of Worcester, Mass.

* The Most Reverend William Murphy, Moderator of the Curia, Archdiocese of Boston

* The Most Reverend Emilio S. Allue, SDB, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston - West Region

* The Most Reverend John P. Boles, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston - Central Region

* The Very Reverend John W. Hanley, OMI, Interim Regional Vicar - Merrimack Region

* The Most Reverend Francis X. Irwin, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston - North Region

* The Most Reverend Richard J. Malone, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston - South Region

* The Most Reverend Francis J. Christian, Auxiliary Bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire

* The Most Reverend Michael Cote, Auxiliary Bishop of Portland, Maine